Karl Altau: Time to Support the Baltic Security Initiative Act in Congress

Karl Altau, JBANC

In his May 12 article for Foreign Policy magazine, “NATO’s Got a New Backbone,” House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) argues that “It’s time for the United States to prioritize members of the alliance that understand the Russian threat and are taking it seriously.”

Rogers continues: “The backbone of NATO, once centered in Paris and Berlin, is shifting eastward and now stretches from Helsinki to the Black Sea. Eastern European nations — namely, Poland, Romania, Finland, and the Baltic states — understand more acutely than their Western neighbors the threat posed by Russia and the imperative for collective resolve in its face.”

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are actively upholding their commitments, and this is noticed in Washington, DC, and in other capitals. In aiding Ukraine during its defense against the ongoing Russian invasion, the Baltics are also dedicating more to their own defense, and to NATO’s joint efforts.

We are now at a key stage in this congressional cycle in the United States that reflects this imperative. The most critical piece of legislation in 2023 that affects United States assistance and support for the Baltic countries has recently been issued. It’s time to support the Baltic Security Initiative Act in Congress.

On April 27, 2023, House Baltic Caucus Co-chair Representative Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), along with his colleague Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) introduced H.R.2922, the Baltic Security Initiative Act. The bill would “establish the Baltic Security Initiative for the purpose of strengthening the defensive capabilities of the Baltic countries, and for other purposes.” This significant legislation is the latest effort to help codify the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI) as a multi-year security assistance program to help bolster systematic support from the United States in assisting Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania better defend themselves against Russian aggression.

The bill would allocate $350 million for the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) for a period of three years to carry out the initiative, with matching funds from the Baltic countries. That’s $1.05 billion for the three-year period. This increase in buttressing NATO’s eastern flank is warranted in the present geopolitical context. The Baltics were among the first after the 2014 Wales NATO Summit to surpass the targeted 2% of GDP for defense expenditures and the countries will soon exceed 3% of GDP, much of it being military hardware. The Baltics have been calling on other NATO members to follow suit.

The targeted security assistance to the Baltic countries offered in the Baltic Security Initiative Act augments and accelerates capability development of air defense, maritime situational awareness, precision fires, critical munitions, command and control, intelligence, anti-armor, special operations, and other capabilities which have been identified in a Baltic Defense Assessment directed by the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This further strengthens deterrence in the Baltic region against Russian aggression, bolsters NATO’s defensive posture, and safeguards U.S. national security interests by doing so.

On May 4, an identically worded bill – S.1465 – was introduced by Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus co-chairs Senators Richard Durbin (D-Illinois) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). Senator Durbin’s press release noted the bipartisan and bicameral nature of the bill.

“The Baltic countries are essential NATO partners in upholding democratic values abroad,” stated Senator Durbin. He emphasized that the “bill deters Russia from extending Putin’s war into NATO territory, strengthens our partnerships with the Baltics, and enhances their capabilities as critical allies on NATO’s eastern flank.”

Senator Grassley added that “the three Baltic countries are steadfast NATO allies who stand resolutely on the side of freedom, having experienced the alternative in living memory. They have gone above and beyond in helping Ukraine fight back against Putin’s war and are among America’s closest friends in Europe. We ought to be working to strengthen the ability of our frontline allies to defend themselves and deter potential aggression. Our bill will make sure that’s the case.”

As of May 17, the bill sponsored by Senator Durbin has 13 co-sponsors, including Senator Grassley. They are Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), Robert Casey (D-Pennsylvania), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) – all signing up on May 4, and Dianne Feinstein (D-California) on May 9, and Rick Scott (R-Florida) on May 15. Besides Senators Durbin and Grassley, other Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus co-sponsors are Senators Stabenow, Merkley, and Feinstein.

To compare with the past year, in the Fiscal Year 2023 omnibus appropriations bill, $225 million was secured to fund the Baltic Security Initiative along with $153 million for security cooperation programs, with a particular focus on European allies helping Ukraine combat Russia’s aggression.

The Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC) endorses this important bipartisan legislation, and will be working to seek additional co-sponsors and to see to the bill’s timely passage. Please contact your Representative or Senator to ask them to co-sponsor H.R.2922 and S.1465, or to thank them for already doing so. You can find your Representative or Senator at: https://congress.gov. We also encourage you to sign up for ALA’s Call to Action UNIT, which will provide you with the necessary tools to contact your elected officials on this and other important issues in the interests of Baltic Americans.

If you have further questions, contact JBANC at [email protected]. We’re happy to assist you.

Please also consider participating in JBANC’s Baltic Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, happening July 20-21, 2023. The two bills will be high-priority items, along with legislation supporting Ukraine.